Certificate Integration

 

The Certificate-Integration is targeted at students who currently do not wish to integrate a study abroad experience into their degree program or who already have stayed abroad while enrolled at another university, before registering for the Certificate International. Also eligible to register are international students who stay at RWTH for at least one academic year.

Mandatory Components

• Intercultural Training
• BeBuddy Program
• Completed Evaluation Form

"BeBuddy" is an informal mentoring program organized by the International Office at RWTH Aachen University which aims to enable newly enrolled international students to adjust to university life and living in a new country. Before the start of a new semester, we try to match up each international student with an experienced student from RWTH – if possible from the same faculty and field of study –to provide the freshmen with support and general information.

You can become a buddy if you have good German and English skills, know the university and the campus quite well, and would like to act as a contact and guide for an international student during his or her first weeks at RWTH Aachen.

If you are a new international student who has just arrived in Aachen and is seeking advice and guidance by an experienced student, you have the opportunity to register as a mentee. Being a mentee will also count as a component for the Certificate Integration.

Before participating in the program as a buddy, you take part in an intercultural training course. These BeBuddy intercultural trainings take place on a regular basis. For dates and further information, please take a look at the Calendar of the International Office. In order to register for a course, please contact the project coordinator, Dominika Dudzik.

As a rule, buddies and mentees participate in the program for at least three months; if desired, this period can be extended. It is mandatory for Certificate-International participants to submit an evaluation form to the International Office. The link to the evaluation form will be sent out to all participants by the end of the semester.

For further information on the buddy program, please visit our BeBuddy pages.

 

Elective Components

Irrespective of whether you pursue the Certificate-Mobility or the Certificate-Integration, you have to complete four electives in addition to the mandatory components. To obtain the Certificate, you will have to complete all mandatory components as well as the required number of electives.

Group 1

You must select at least two components from the list of group 1 electives:

• Language Course
• Organization of the regular BeBuddy Get-Together
• Active Involvement in a Student Society or Club at RWTH
• Social support of school students
• Summer School Participation
• Activity as a Co-Teacher at the Arts and Humanities Language Center (SZ)
• Lectures and Seminars with an International Orientation
• Europa macht Schule (For the European students)
• Co-organization of Day of Integration
• Volunteer work with a project supporting individuals with a refugee background
• German Language Tutor with STARRING Aachen
• Housing Support for International Students

 

Group 2

You should select at least two components from the list of group 2 electives:

• Supporting the RWTH Welcome Week
• Career-Enhancing workshops with an internationalfocus
• Lectures and Seminars with an International Orientation
• Supervision of Participants in the Summer Schools
• RWTH ambassador abroad
• BeBuddy Ambassador / BeMentee Ambassador